Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Divorces, 1786-1832

Divorce records are a goldmine of information for family historians. "This compilation of Lancaster County divorces is invaluable not only for those interested in the history and genealogy of Lancaster County, but many other locations as well. When a husband or wife left their mate, they often went quite a distance." Divorce records typically contain (as available): the date and place of marriage, any previous marriages, children, other family members named as witnesses, and "next friend" (in the case of women libeling [filing] for divorce). The compiler has grouped together all of the separately dated entries for each case, thus eliminating the frustration of leafing through the entire book to follow the progress of a single case. The cases are arranged chronologically according to the date of the original petition, and a surname index makes it easy to find the names of the participants in each transaction. An abbreviations page is included to help make the legal terminology understandable.